Our old buddy Kris Harper with DuClaw is closing in on his 5-timer jacket! He joins us at the bar this week to help kickstart our celebrations for the end of 2019! And he has some awesome beers to try: Sour Me Wild Cherry Ale, Sour Me Double Blueberry Ale, and Apple Brandy Retribution. Plus we sneak in a little Upland Paw Paw just for fun!

The MegaMergerMania just won’t stop! Following up with the Ballast Point shocker from last week, The Motley Fool asks is Constellation Brands is throwing in the towel on craft beer? Then the New Belgium story heats up in Nikkei Asian Review revealing that Kirin's New Belgium deal is being threatened by Kirin’s Myanmar links! We pivot to happier news from Forbes who is proposing a toast to National Lager Day, followed by a fun editorial in Good Beer Hunting opining that White Claw might be the only thing that can save craft beer from itself! And as we love to do, we close out the week with real science via The Daily Mail demonstrating that tapping the side of a beer can will NOT stop it fizzing out!

Last week’s #caskquiz asked “what’s your reaction to the Ballast Point saga?” This week we want to hear “what beers do you want in your stocking this year?”

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking our Facebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

There are big doings down in Charlotte for Sycamore Brewing, and Archie Gleason and Kimmie Krohn are here to share all the news! We learn about the explosive growth that the brewery has continued to enjoy this year, plus their plans for expansion and a new brewpub! Then we have four taste treats to try: Christmas Cookie WInter Ale, Tropical Kush IPA, Special Brownies Stout, and Numb Numb Juice DIPA!

The MegaMergerMania kicked into overdrive after the holiday, and in reverse too! It’s anti-MegaMergerMania with the shocking news via MarketWatch (thanks Alex and Mark!) reporting that Constellation is unloading its $1 billion craft beer acquisition Ballast Point to a small Chicago-area brewery! Whoa! Then kicking it back into drive Colorado Daily reveals the agreement that will keep the Boulder Beer brand alive outside of its local taproom! Next The BBC finds that Japanese beer exports to South Korea have hit zero amid a trade spat while Iflscience (thanks Frank!) shows how strong beers may be full of the same gut-friendly bacteria as yogurt! Finally Forbes asks (and answers) what makes this beer gay? and The Dallas Morning News wants you to tell a ‘Harry Potter’ fan that The Wizard’s Beer Festival is coming to Dallas!

Last week we carried over our #caskquiz question asking “what was your go to food and beer pairing for Thanksgiving this year?” This week we want to hear “what’s your reaction to the Ballast Point saga?”

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking our Facebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

After all the people we have had in the bar lately, we just want to kick back and relax before the Thanksgiving mayhem heading our way this week! So we leisurely review the news and chat, and then we try some great brews! They are AleSmith Coastal Connect New Zealand Style Pilsner, Hardywood Christmas Morning Imperial Milk Stout, and DuClaw Caramel Cookie Retribution Imperial Stout!

We have a week off from MegaMergerMania finally, beginning with Vice offering some bad news if you invested money in a craft beer company in the UK. Next up Stacker has a terrific timeline showing the cost of a beer the year you turned 21, followed by Delish visiting BrewDog’s newest venture - kennels and beer! Then Ozy reveals why Black Friday is best for limited-edition beer, and we close up with WRAL (thanks Scott!) heading down to a Surf City brewery that has created eco-friendly packaging that is edible for wildlife!

Since we recorded early this week we are carrying over our #caskquiz question asking “what was your go to food and beer pairing for Thanksgiving this year?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking our Facebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in Apple Podcasts,  Stitcher, Overcast, or your favorite podcast app if you haven’t done so!

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking our Facebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

You know we loves us some tech, and Untappd remains one of our fave apps! And of course our Thanksgiving ep is one of our faves of the year! So we are stoked to combine tech and turkey (or chicken) with the return of Brandon Walker and welcome newbie Chandler Hatch from Untappd to the bar! The guys tell us about their exciting new venture with retailers and distributors, and they join us for one of Jenn’s incredible food pairing dinners! This year we feature Olde Hickory On Cloud 9, Rodenbach Classic,  Alesmith RKS, Anchor Christmas 2019, Hardywood Cuvee Peach, and Blake’s Triple Jam!

It’s a double whammy with MegaMergerMania this week, beginning with the shocker from The Denver Post (thanks Michael and Steve!) revealing that New Belgium Brewing, Colorado’s largest craft brewery, has announced a sale to an international beer conglomerate! Then Brewbound reports that Artisanal Brewing Ventures is going to acquire Bold Rock Hard Cider! We pivot away to The Hill reporting that a beer industry poll finds a majority back a tax break for alcohol producers, while Forbes is a fly on the wall when ‘Brewing A Revolution’ brings craft beer history to the Smithsonian and The News & Observer shows how craft beer changed America. We close up the week with Food & Wine (thanks Steve!) announcing 'Small Brewery Sunday' as the perfect celebration to wrap up Thanksgiving weekend!

Last week we ask you “what are your top 5 best breweries of the past decade?” This week as is custom each Thanksgiving we want to know we are wanting to know “what is your go to food and beer pairing for Thanksgiving?”

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking our Facebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

The beers don’t magically appear in stores and bars - it takes the wizardry of people like Courtney Cowan to get them here! Courtney joins us at the bar and regales us with the intricate path of how beer gets from brewery to you! Plus she reveals her backstory, her years in the retail world, and her journey to us! Of course she finds some delectable treats for us: Coronado Tiki Sunset Kettle Sour, Upland Guava Sour, and both Wicked Weed German Chocolate Cake and Wicked Weed S’mores Imperial Stouts!

Legal news begins the week via CNBC as brewers warn the US Supreme Court to back the Clean Water Act, or else beer will taste like medicine! Next Forbes joins us in NC as they visit some of the breweries of all shapes and sizes that make North Carolina a craft beer Mecca, and then Fortune (thanks Steve!) shows why you’ll never get a fresher beer than right now! We follow with The Brussels Times (thanks Frank!) showcasing Brussels Beer Project and Maison Dandoy joining forces on a new biscuit (um cookie) and a new beer, while Carlsberg (thanks again Steve!) issues their latest Green Fibre Bottle update. We close up shop with Fortune (again!) unveiling Sam Adams Utopias hitting shelves this week!

Last week’s #caskquiz asked “what makes a beer sessionable to you? Style, ABV, finish, something else?” This week we want you to answer a spinoff of the “3 Questions”, namely “what’s the first brewery you remember visiting?”

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking ourFacebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We have a lot coming up the rest of the month, so this week it’s just the two of us kicking back in the bar! Jenn gives us the scoop from last week’s GABF, and then she goes into the secret stash for a smorgasbord of delights: Alchemist Farmer’s Daughter Saison, Odell 180 Shilling, and Kuhnhenn Dark Heathen Triple Bock Lager!

Jenn wasn’t alone in Denver! The Takeout was also there finding the trending beers at the GABF that offer a glimpse into our fizzy future! We also have fun news from The Baltimore Sun (thanks Frank!) sharing Baltimore brewers who are clapping back at review culture with ‘2 Stars Not My Style’ sour, followed by MarketWatch revealing why tech startups and craft beer go hand in hand, and then VinePair (thanks Steve!) believing that it’s impossible to define ‘sessionable’ in craft beer! We wind up the newsweek with AL.com profiling craft beer, hip hop, and the clout of Nappy Roots, and Food & Wine unveiling Schraderbrau Beer just in time for the new 'Breaking Bad' movie!

Last week’s #caskquiz asked “what oktoberfest stood out for you this year?” while this week we want to hear “what makes a beer sessionable to you?  Style, ABV, finish?”

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking ourFacebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We are finally in October, and it’s time we celebrate the blazing hot arrival of the month with our best buddy Sierra Nevada sales guru and Tales co-founder Tony Walldroff! Plus Oktoberfest beers! Tony shares what he’s been up to, the news from Sierra’s national sales meeting, and of course beers! They include Hofbräu Oktoberfest, Sierra’s Oktoberfest collaboration with Bitburger, and (of course you knew we would sneak in some pumpkin for T!) Wicked Weed Pompoen Rum Barrel-Aged Sour Pumpkin Ale Fermented with Ginger!

The USA Today (thanks sfringer & foolintherain!) leads the news by unveiling a meeting of beer & chocolate in Yuengling and Hershey's rich, chocolatey porter collaboration! Next up Fortune reports that craft beer added $79 billion to the US economy in 2018, while CBS Sports spotlights a beer vendor who charged a fan $724 for two beers at a Miami Dolphins game! Last week’s “beer money” sign/charity fundraiser story continues, first via ABC News revealing that the fundraiser has erupted into racist tweets, a fired reporter and online drama! In spite of all that hubbub, The NY Post shows that the “beer money” guy got his own holiday and brew in Iowa! We close the week with The Post & Courier examining ‘coopetition’ in Carolina’s craft brewing scene, VinePair finding a surprising connection between Prohibition and the Early Bird Special, and craftbeer.com (thanks Frank!) profiling a brewer who has honored his grandfather’s legacy as a WWII Navajo Code Talker.

Last week’s #caskquiz asked “have you had a beer with local ingredients and what was it?” while this week we want to hear “what oktoberfest stood out for you this year?

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking ourFacebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

There’s no better way to celebrate birthday week for both of us than to have a great time with our old buddy and music man Scott Mizerak from Foothills Brewing! Scott talks about all the great things happening in Winston-Salem - a hotel next to the brewpub - w00t! And he has amazing brews for us: Hoppyum (now in cans!), Equus IPA (also now in cans!), and Barrel-Aged Sexual Chocolate with Coffee!

In honor of birthday week, we have only good news for you, beginning in The NY Post where we learn that more than 70% of beer drinkers have taken time to go on a ‘beercation’! Next up local fave WRAL reports that the changing climate is potentially affecting the craft beer industry, while PodiumRunner.com asks Pete if you should you carbo-load on beer? Then it’s ESPN showcasing a ‘beer money' sign that is still chugging along for charity, Fortune showing us craft breweries going hyper-local to source ingredients, and Smithsonian Magazine (thanks Scott!) revealing what’s brewing in the new Smithsonian Beer Collections. We wind up the week with The Drinks Business (thanks Steve!) picturing two beer cans from the 1930s selling for £2,270!

This week’s #caskquiz asks “have you had a beer with local ingredients lately What was it? Which ingredients?

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking ourFacebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Jenn fired up the DeLorean and headed to Michigan this week to chat and drink with Travis Fritts, the owner and brewer at Old Nation Brewing in Williamston! Travis shares the story of Old Nation, talks the latest brews, and then tries some great beers: M-43 New England IPA, Boss Tweed DIPA, and Brut IPA!

A cool collaboration of a different sort leads the news from Food & Wine in that Dogfish Head has turned SeaQuench into a runners’ shoe with Merrell! Next up Craft Brewing Business (thanks Steve!) showcases sweet-looking beer serving tanks that help craft breweries ditch kegs to increase efficiency, safety, speed and freshness, followed by The San Francisco Examiner showing us beer politics and random brew questions. Then it’s Bloomberg reporting that South Koreans appear to have lost their taste for Japanese beer, and we close out the week with KSTU (Fox13 Salt Lake City) warning that beer is going to start disappearing (temporarily) from Utah store shelves!

Due to the nature of time travel, we are carrying over last week’s #caskquiz asking “how long do you think the seltzer craze will last? Will it flame out like root beer did? Have monster growth for a few years then retain solid market share? Start slowing next year then diminishing over time?”

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking ourFacebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

It may be September and all, but you wouldn’t know it from the 90º heat! So we are pumped to have our friend Kimmie Krohn from Sycamore Brewing join us in the bar with refreshing brews from down Charlotte way! Kimmie talks about the latest from C-town and then tries three taste treats with us: Pumpkin Latte Blonde, Psychedelic Flow IPA, and Juice Willis DIPA!

Sad news leads us off with another MegaMergerMania aftershock via The Roanoke Times,  with the announcement that Daleville's Ballast Point tasting room and kitchen will close, while the brewery will remain in production. Next we have CNBC reporting that Boston Beer’s CEO says they are looking at cannabis, while The Daily Beast asks how the hell is White Claw outselling Budweiser? Then it’s Forbes wondering if rose beers are a fad or lasting trend, and then TribLive shares a study that finds women spend more at craft brewpubs, while men prevail in volume. We close up the week with the shocking yet true news from Vice that an Aussie sportswriter paid $68,000 for a single beer at a UK hotel bar!

Last week’s #caskquiz wanted to know “what’s the wildest/most extreme beer is that you have tried?” For this week, we are asking “how long do you think the seltzer craze will last? Will it flame out like root beer did? Have monster growth for a few years then retain solid market share? Start slowing next year then diminishing over time?”

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking ourFacebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!